


Double Edged Sword Through the Veil

by LarissaMusic7



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:20:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25211551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LarissaMusic7/pseuds/LarissaMusic7
Summary: When the Eltanin twins were born, they knew they weren't going to have an easy life. However, they had no idea how hard it would be.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! This is the first chapter upload. I am writing this with a friend who does not have AO3, and this first chapter is her chapter. We will be alternating who writes which chapters. Enjoy!!!!

Chapter 1 (Antonia POV):  
I remember how it was when life was normal. Well, as normal as you can get when you’re a half-blood witch who was also born out of wedlock in a small conservative town in England in 2047. I remember when my life changed. Rather, when my and my sister’s lives changed. See, we're both in our third years at Hogwarts, being twins and all. I’m a Slytherin, while my sister Angelina, or as I like to call her, Rose, is a Hufflepuff. She’s so sweet, and I would likely kill for her if it came down to it. We call each other our ‘flower names’ as it is a tradition for Malfoys, or as we are now, Eltanins, to name children after flowers. She calls me Aster, and I call her Rose. We don’t like to relate ourselves much to the family line, so that’s why we don’t use them outside of ourselves and our grandfather.

We don’t have many friends at Hogwarts, since we're the grandchildren of Draco Malfoy, who was the son of a Death Eater and one himself. He is now known as Draco Eltanin, as he took the name of our grandmother who passed away before we were born. He was forced to be a Death Eater by his father, but nobody cares about that. Most people call us the Eltanin twins. Being in Slytherin, I get bullied a bit, with people always ripping my bag in the halls and “accidentally” knocking me into things. I’ve never told Rose this. She would probably start coddling me if I did. We’ve always been protective of each other, considering my dad was always working at the Ministry. He got less pay than most, too, just because his dad was a Death Eater and he didn’t have a wife. 

I’ve always heard about how GREAT Harry Potter was, and how CRUEL Slytherins were, but that couldn’t be more wrong. Professor Snape, who now exists in a portrait, always cared for his snakes. He is more our head now than Professor Slughorn, which we are all content with. As Slytherins, we never rat anyone of our own kind out. We stick together and protect each other fiercely. We are forbidden from arguing in the hallways because anything could get our reputations damaged. I love my fellow snakes, and hold them just below my sister. Gryffindors, as far as I can tell, will do anything to one up each other. On the other hand, I heard all about Harry Potter’s hatred for Slytherins, and his prejudice against us. But NO, Harry Potter was the greatest wizard of all time, and he saved a Malfoy so that makes it okay. 

As of now, we are in a bit of a pickle. Rose and I are wandering in the forest exactly where our Muggle Studies professor, the portrait of Charity Burbage, told us NOT to go.  
————————FLASHBACK——————————  
“Okay class, we are stopping here to explore the muggle world. If you would like to go anywhere, feel free to do so, but you must be back before 5 o’clock. We will NOT look for you and will travel back without you if necessary. Do NOT go into the forest, as half bloods and muggleborns have disappeared there and never come back. We haven’t had an incident in a few centuries, so I hope to keep that record.”  
—————————END FLASHBACK————————  
I’m what Muggles would call a “badass”. I guess it just means my affinity for black and camouflage. It could also explain my desire of danger. I don’t normally rope my sister into any of my pranks or tricks, but I knew she would be worried if I disappeared for a few hours, so I decided to bring her with me. Now, we both love schoolwork, no doubt about it, but you can get straight Os and still seek danger. We love schoolwork so much that our grandfather calls us ”Half-Hermiones” which I suppose is a compliment. My sister and I would be considered half-bloods because our mother was a Muggle who dropped us on our dad’s step in the middle of the night. My grandfather doesn’t hate Muggles as some may think, so he didn’t disown our father.

A few weeks ago, Professor Burbage announced we would be taking a trip to Manhattan to show students the magic of the human world. Rose and I grew up in a Muggle town, but we weren’t around very many Muggles, so it would be a new experience. I don’t know why she didn’t choose a city in England, but America was beautiful, even if it was a bit young, so I wasn’t too mad. At the moment, we’re lost in a forest somewhere in Manhattan. I doubt anyone will miss us, they barely care about me and my sister, but we just have to hope we don’t get attacked by a dragon or something. I’ll need to keep an eye out for weird sounds. *crack* I then see a shadow approaching us.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 2!!! This is the first chapter from my OCs POV!!! Enjoy!!!

“Antonia Aster Renée Eltanin you are going to get us into SO much trouble if you don’t get us back to the gathering point on time.” I say, glaring at my sister. Then I notice she’s looking at something. “What are you looking at?” I ask Aster quizzically.

“I’m not sure if I’m hallucinating, but I think I just heard something crack, and I’m pretty sure it came from whomever, or whatever, that shadow over there belongs to,” Aster whispers back. 

She isn’t one to be paranoid, so I trust her. She’s always been annoyingly protective of me, although I’m probably the same. We’re both protective in very different ways though. The best way I can describe it is that she would kill for me and I would die for her. She’s also going to get us both into trouble one day, and I am NOT happy about it.

My sister steps back next to me and places her arm around me. I can handle myself Antonia, geez. I peer into the bushes and see something humanoid heading towards us. Stepping back, I shrug off Aster’s arm from around me. “Hello?” I say tentatively. 

Someone steps out of the bushes. “Hi, my name is Louise,” he says kindly. He’s tall with almond skin and long black hair. 

“Hello Louise, I'm Antonia,” my sister replies, still standing in front of me. She glares a bit at him, almost like she’s going to murder him if he doesn’t explain himself. 

“I’m Angelina,” I mouth ‘sorry about her’ to Louise.

“Where did you guys come from?” he asks. 

“Why should we tell you? For all we know, you could be trying to kill or kidnap us, murderers come in all shapes and sizes,” Aster snaps back fiercely. Aster, you really have to chill, he’s being nice. 

“Don’t worry, I only murder monsters and people who try to hurt my cabin. Normally mortals stay out of the woods, and you two don’t seem like you’re on the run. I would assume you felt like exploring?” Louise says, still speaking with a calm demeanor. 

“My sister isn’t great with following rules and loves adventures, so yes. We were exploring.” I step forward. “And what do you mean mortals?” Aster glares at me, probably for ‘not being careful’. I can handle myself just fine. It is sweet though. 

“Maybe I should take you to CHB. It’s a camp for demigods, meaning children who have one godly parent, which it seems like you guys are. Our camp director could probably explain it better.” Louise turns around and waves for us to follow him. 

“We know our parentage though. Our dad is a wizard and our mom was a muggle, that is to say, not a witch.” I say as my brain finally catches up to what he said. Did he say godly parent?

“Rose, what in the name of Merlin are you doing!? We don’t know him and you just told him our PARENTAGE! Did you forget about being careful?” Antonia hisses at me. 

“Aster, chill, he’s nice!” I whisper back. 

“How do you know that, hm?”

I ignore her. “Wait, what? Godly parent?” I call, hurrying to keep up. “Please explain what you’re talking about, Louise!”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really short, but I hope you enjoy it! This is Antonia/Aster’s POV.

Well this is going swimmingly. Rose revealed our parentage, which isn’t the biggest problem, but I’m pretty sure if I didn’t stop her, she would have revealed THE WIZARDING WORLD to a Muggle. Louise, the Muggle, seems decent, but so did everyone at Hogwarts, until they started messing with me. I have no choice but to follow him, though, as my sister isn’t going to stop and I don’t want her to get killed without me. “Wait, what? Godly parent?” Rose says, running ahead. Rose, you have to remember your manners when talking to strangers. If a probable kidnapper comes out of the woods, you still have to be polite and make a good impression. Louise had mentioned something about godly parents though, so I can’t blame Rose for being curious.

“Uh, I’ll explain once we’re in camp,” Louise replies. 

“Excuse me, but this still seems like a plot to get the two of us murdered. Could you please explain it to us here so we have at least one reason to trust you? Thank you,” I say, maybe a bit too aggressively to be polite. Curse my non-Sacred 28 temper.

Rose looks at me pointedly as if to say ‘Stop being so huffy, he’s being nice.’ Sorry Rose, but no thanks. 

“Nice negotiation there Antonia. You both should probably ready yourselves for this. The Greek Gods are… real. Demigods are the children of a God and a mortal, and I’m afraid you two probably are, and whatever wizard thing your dad told you is likely a lie,” he stated matter-of-factly. Rose looks at him, then me, with a confused look on her face. Louise is making no sense.

“I would beg to differ, seeing as we are able to do magic and have been training for two and a half years,” I say as politely as I can. I’m starting to get a bit infuriated with the whole situation. Oh dear, hopefully he won’t realize I said magic and tell someone else, Magical Statute of Secrecy and all. Louise looks a bit shocked, and also a tad... amused?! “Okay, the joke’s over, which campers are you two? I know you’re just using the mist to hide yourselves.” 

“EXCUSE ME?! What in the name of Merlin’s saggy left tit are you talking about?” Did I really just say that? Oh dear, I’m starting to sound like the Gryffindor Queen Astrid Lupin, god-granddaughter to the Chosen One himself and the person I hate most at Hogwarts. Dear Merlin I’m mad.

“We have no clue who you are or what you’re talking about,” Rose interjects politely. How is she so CALM? A person tells us that our entire life is actually a prank? Well, I’m sure glad that the scars on my arms and legs from several Diffindos are actually just my ‘mates’ messing with me. How funny and wonderful. Absolutely bloody brilliant.

Rose looks over at me. ‘Breathe’ she mouths. Okay, I should probably breathe before I explode. Inhale, and exhale. Inhale, and exhale. Thank Merlin for my sister. 

“I think we really should take this to camp, I’m not sure I’m qualified enough to be explaining this to you.” 

“Aster, let’s go. We will be fine even if this is a trap, okay?” Rose whispers in my ear. Well, if we do get trapped, we both know a few decent spells to help us in a duel. I nod at her and we walk with Louise to wherever we’re going.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think in the comments!! This is Antonina/Rose’s POV!

Okay, Aster really needs to chill. I love her to death, but man she can be rude sometimes to people we meet. I know it’s because she’s protective, but sometimes it’s a little too much. We can protect ourselves just freaking fine. She knows that. We’ve been learning dueling spells anyway; we’ll be able to handle anything Louise throws at us, if it comes to that. I really don’t think it’s a trap. Louise seems nice. 

We walk out of the woods and see a hill in the distance that, based on Louise’s gaze, appears to be our destination. He glances back at us and waves for us to hurry up. I glance over at my sister, who looks like a guard dog under her ‘cool’ facade, and then I speed up a little to keep up with Louise, giving my sister the ‘chill, breathe, and stay calm’ look. 

We get to the hill and there’s a giant tree with what looks like a gold sheepskin hanging on a branch, and some sort of giant reptile wrapped around the tree, sleeping. I whisper to my sister, “What the heck is that?” as we pass by and crest the hill. I then stare wide eyed at the miniature valley at the bottom of the hill. 

“I believe it’s a dragon, I saw a few pictures in a book for Care of Magical Creatures once,” she replies. 

I can see so much Greek architecture. There’s a giant house right up front and in the distance there’s a double ring of the oddest assortment of buildings I have seen. From beautiful Greek buildings, to tiny little miniature houses. From grass roofs, to solid gold and silver buildings. There’s a great big Greek pavilion and some woods off in the distance. There’s a decent sized lake and fields of ripe strawberries. I can almost taste their sweetness from here. There appears to be a Greek practice fighting arena in the distance and nearby some tall wall with something that looks suspiciously like lava flowing down it. 

“Well, here it is, Camp Half-Blood. Come with me to the Big House,” Louise says pointing towards the giant house. It's a very fitting name. Aster still looks like she's about to explode, as we follow Louise inside.

“Here it is! Chiron should be in there right now, you can go in.” Louise says. 

Aster pushes open the door before I can even step forward. We step into the room and the first thing I notice is an actually well dressed centaur. That's surprising. Most of centaurs at Hogwarts are all kind of wild and don't like interacting with anything remotely human. I think Louise said this centaur’s name was Chiron?

“Chiron, these two are demigods, but they weren’t running away or dropped off, so I wasn’t sure what to tell them,” Louise says before stepping out. Why would anyone run away from here? This place looks amazing so far. And who would we be dropped off by? And wait how does she know we’re demigods?

“Hello children, might I ask for your names and how you got here? I’m Chiron by the way, you probably have already figured out,” the centaur says. Apparently I had heard his name right. That’s good. “I'm Angelina and this is my sister Antonia”, I say before my sister has a chance to form a bad impression on Chiron. She has great manners when she chooses to use them, but when she gets protective and distrustful it's better to let me do the talking. 

“We were on a school field trip and my sister convinced me to go explore. Multiple muggle-borns have gotten lost and are rumored to have died in this forest centuries ago. I don’t suppose you’d know anything about that?” 

Chiron looks at us carefully, almost studying us. “Would you two like to sit down? I’d like to talk to you both for a bit,” Chiron states as he gestures towards the chairs. My sister looks like she’s about to fight someone. I give her the ‘calm down’ look again, and sit down. I know she won’t cause too much trouble or flee when I’m here. I know how to get her to do things I want and not cause too much trouble. That’s probably the only Slytherin trait I have. 

“Do you both know about the Greek Gods?” he asks. My sister and I both nod as he continues, “Well, they’re real. More than just them, actually. Almost all the myths you have hopefully learned about are real. The children attending this camp are children of a God and mortal, meaning a demigod, or the children of a demigod, also known as a legacy. Many demigods die before they are able to have children sadly, so legacies are extremely rare. I’m sure this is a shock, and I can answer any questions you have before you watch the introduction video.” I look over at my sister who is trying to put on an uninterested facade, yet is seeming to gape at him almost as much as I am. 

“Sir, if I may, you are mistaken. Our mother was a Muggle, or mortal as you may call them. Our father is most definitely not a God as he is part of a formerly well-known family with heritage that can be traced back centuries,” Aster says. 

“What my sister is trying to say is that our father is a wiza-!” “Hey! That hurt” I say as Aster pinches me, HARD. Oh right, Magical Statute of Secrecy. Chiron looks at both of us, and I can almost see the gears turning in his head.

“Would either of you know an Armando Dippet or Phineas Nigellius?” Chiron says


	5. Chapter 5

“Would either of you know Armando Dippet or Phineas Nigellius?” Chiron asks. 

“Former headmasters of Hogwarts? I believe we do, why?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Have either of you met your mother, or did she leave you both with your father? And are you twins or just sisters?” 

“No, we haven’t met our mother. I wish we had… and yes, we are twins. Why do you ask?” Rose replies before I can say anything. I think she’s becoming too Slytherin for her own good, manipulation is not a very Hufflepuff trait. Well, it’s not manipulating exactly, just knowing me too well. It’s not like houses are the person either, but still. I hate interrupting people, so all she has to do is talk quickly. 

“I believe your mother might be Hecate. Her children are always magical, but most of her children are demigods. I can’t be sure if she is, as your father was a wizard, but it is very likely.” He looks at Rose pointedly. “You almost let that slip, Angelina,” Chiron says as I glare at my sister. This is why we think before speaking, Rose.

She ignores me, saying, “You know about Hogwarts? And Muggles and Wizards? I think the Ministry is supposed to obliviate non-wizards who know, so you must be a wizard, right? And Hecate is the Goddess of magic and sorcery, correct? With the torch thingy that lights the giants’ hair on fire?” 

“I am a centaur, not a wizard, but I did meet a few in my time as head of this camp. And yes, Hecate is the goddess of magic. All wizards and witches receive their gifts from her, either by her blessing or by being her child. Most wizards are descended from others who have been blessed, hence all the famous families such as yours. If you two don’t have any more questions, I’d like to show you our introduction video, so everything will make a bit more sense,” Chiron said. My sister and I nod in response, and Chiron stands up to turn on a projector. “Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, let’s start with the gods…”

As the video finishes, I look over at Rose, my mouth wide open. I’m not going to ask too many questions because I’m sure Rose will. Sometimes it’s like we have the same brain. There are so many famous names: Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo, Jason Grace, tons of others. They’re probably all old now, around fifty or sixty if my math is correct.

“Ok, so basically my favorite myths are all true?” Rose says after what feels like five minutes of stunned silence. I’m still stuck on the fact that someone killed Mother Earth and came back to life? Apparently some of the old demigods can shapeshift and summon metals and control water?!?

“Yes, that is correct. Also, your godly parent should claim you at the campfire tonight. You are both likely daughters of Hecate, however, you will still stay at the Hermes cabin until you are officially claimed. As you know, Hermes was the god of travellers, so his cabin is the place for all unclaimed demigods. I will walk you there,” Chiron says.

Chiron stands up and Rose and I follow. He leads us to the giant circle of crazy buildings, and we head towards one that looks more like a typical summer camp cabin than all of the crazy ones.

“These cabins are all super cool!” Rose exclaims. 

“Each one is for the children of a different god. That one is for the children of Zeus.” Chiron points to a stone shrine-like cabin. “That one is for the children of Ares,” he says, gesturing towards a crudely painted bright red cabin with spikes on the roof that look very…violent.

“Who is that one for?” Rose says excitedly, pointing to a glistening silver cabin.

“That one is for Artemis,” Chiron replies. “She doesn't have any children, because she is a maiden goddess, but when the Hunters of Artemis visit camp they stay there. All of the gods and goddesses have cabins here so they don’t get angry with us. You’ll learn soon that they are very… particular, about being properly acknowledged.”

“Which one is the Hecate cabin?” I ask. “Is it the one with the engraved stones?”

“Yes, that is the one. You have a keen eye, Antonia. You will do well as a demigod,” Chiron states with a glint in his eye. Well, that doesn’t sound ominous at all. 

“Here it is, I’ll get the cabin counsmphhhh!” Chiron says, getting hit with a face full of whipped cream. 

“Oh sorry, Chiron, I was trying to prank Katelyn, arch-nemesis and all that. Who are these two, unclaimed I assume?” a tall boy with messy dark brown hair says, not looking even the least bit remorseful. “I'm Trevor Riley, head counselor of Hermes cabin,” he says, holding his hand out.

“There will be consequences Trevor, you know the rules. These are Antonia and Angelina Eltanin. I assume their mother is Hecate, but she has yet to claim them,” Chiron replies, still covered in whipped cream and giving Trevor a disapproving look, with a gleam in his eye suggesting he was secretly amused by Trevors antics.

“That’s no problem, we have a few beds still open.”

“Hi, I’m Angelina,” Rose says as she steps forward and shakes Trevor’s extended hand. 

“Hello, Angelina, I assume you’re Antonia then? Come inside, the video should have told you all you need to know about camp, and everything else is learned from experience. We have training with the Demeter cabin today, so you might need to borrow some clothes. Hopefully they aren’t stolen, but it's all mixed in there a bit,” Trevor says, all in one breath. He gestures towards the door as Chiron leaves us, probably to clean himself up. 

We walk inside and look around. There are bunk beds on almost every wall and a shelf of pillows and sleeping bags. There is also an array of weapons on the wall, from daggers to bows, as well as a closet stuffed with an assortment of random items, including spare clothes. It looks like the images of most muggle cabins from Muggle Studies.

“Well, here it is! You can each grab a sleeping bag to lay on one of the beds, unless you want to be the butt of numerous pranks, as well as suffering from whatever prank residue that might be left on the mattress. I’ll go grab the rest of the cabin, and you guys make sure to change! I’ll get y’all on the way to training,” Trevor says as he dashes out the door. 

So much for help, but at least he explained what we had to do. 

After changing out of our clothes into the spare ones we found in the closet, we set up our beds. I managed to wrangle together an outfit from the assorted pieces of clothes, because every moment is a moment for fashion, as my grandfather says. It isn’t too hard to make my bed, but I have a feeling I’m going to sweat to death in it. 

“Hey, Rose, should we go look for Trevor since we’re done?” I ask my sister. “We could probably explore the camp if we wanted to.” 

“He said to wait, but I don’t think this place is too big. Exploring a little and looking for him doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Maybe we should leave a note here in case he comes back before we find him?” Rose replies. 

“Good idea, nice to know you do have a brain, miss I Speak Before I Think In Front Of Total Strangers. It’s very Gryffindor and utterly heathen of you. What would Grandfather say, hm?” I say, adding a bit more formality to my words. She always gets annoyed when I speak like that, it’s wonderful.

“Hey!!! I think before I speak...most of the time... And don’t you DARE insult me by calling me one of those lions. Nothing against them, but I’m a Hufflepuff through and through.” Rose glares at me. 

“Okay, my little lion, hush now. We wouldn’t want to do something BRASH, now would we?” I smirk at Rose. 

Rose glares at me and drops her mouth open. “How dare you,” she says, lightly punching my arm with a slight smile. 

“Manners, Rose, apparently we are purebloods, so you have to speak like one. Speaking of which, why does your vocabulary sound like that of an American Muggle today?” It really does, my sister never developed an English ‘accent’ as some may call it. I don’t even know how she developed her almost American way of speaking.

“I don’t know, Aster. Why do you care so much about my vocabulary?” Rose starts to jot down a note on a spare piece of paper, likely saying we are heading out exploring. 

“We’re British, are we not? I don’t think Grandfather ever let us utter the word ‘hi’ without giving us an entire lecture. Yes, I know you don’t like his way of speaking, but I do. Anyway, we should probably go so we have ample time to explore,” I say as she sticks the note to the shelf full of sleeping bags and pillows.

“Okay, well, I’m not changing my speech pattern for you. Sorry. Let’s go though. Exploring actually sounds fun for once,” she says, a tad harsher than normal. 

“Sorry, Rose, I’m not mad. You can speak however you want, I was just trying to annoy you. Anyway, nice to know you love exploring so much. You’d still be coming with me even if you didn’t want to, so good thing I don’t have to drag you,” I say before walking out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to get out to you guys. My co-writer and I have been very busy, as have our editors. Thank you @cabin13counselor for editing in the past and @happy_little_trees3 for helping with this chapter. My co-writer does not have AO3, but this is her chapter. We alternate chapters. I hope you enjoy! Let us know what you think in the comments please!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Here’s chapter 6! We’re getting back into posting every 2 weeks. Comment your thoughts below. Also side note Aster is not s*lf h*rming. She is being bullied which was mentioned in chapter 3, but please be aware of this before reading. I am co-writing this with someone who does not have AO3. Check her out on Instagram @demigodish.headcanons and my Instagram page @sanders_riordan_potter thank you @happy_little_trees3 here on AO3 for editing for us. Your help is greatly appreciated.

I follow Aster out the door as we head to explore. We love teasing each other, but sometimes one of us goes a bit far. I’ve made fun of her ‘Pureblood voice’ that she uses when talking to new people before, this is nothing new. That probably hurts in the same way her comments about my American vocabulary hurt. 

I am excited to explore for once, though. Camp Half-Blood seems impossibly cool. Aster and I wander around a little, and I’m enchanted by the Artemis cabin. It’s so pretty. 

“Hey Aster, can we stop here for a minute? I want to look at this cabin,” I ask.

“I’m not sure we’re allowed to go inside without getting smote, but looking around shouldn’t cause any trouble.” Aster hesitates for a second. “Are you sure you’re okay? I’m sorry if I hurt you. I love how you talk, it makes you unique and probably easier to talk to,” Aster says, sounding a bit concerned. 

I smile at my sister. “It’s ok. Thank you. And yeah, probably not inside, but I want to look around. It’s GORGEOUS!!”

We continue to wander and explore. After a couple hours that somehow seem like less than 15 minutes, Louise catches up to us and says it’s dinner time. We follow him to the dining pavilion and are told to take a seat at the Hermes table. Everyone is just telling their plates and cups what they want, so I follow suit. It miraculously gives me the food I want. That’s so cool! It reminds me a bit of Hogwarts, though at Hogwarts you still serve yourself from communal dishes. I follow along as the other campers scrape a bit of their meal into the fire, but I have no clue why. It seems kind of odd. 

“Trevor, why are we burning food?” I ask quietly. 

“It’s an offering to the Gods. It’s not enough that they’re omnipotent and all powerful, they also need to feel appreciated,” he replies. 

“Oh ok.” I fall silent as I eat. 

“Hey, Rose, do you think I could get butterbeer in these… cups? Trevor told me they fill up with anything, so I should be able to, right?” Aster asks me. She’s eating a Muggle burger with chips.

“Yeah, I think they should. Hopefully.”

I ask my cup to give me butterbeer and it works!!

After dinner we head to a campfire. Everyone is having fun singing different campfire songs, although there is an odd one about grandma putting on her armour. Chiron announces the next song, and apparently people love this one because suddenly the campers’ faces light up with joy. The fire grows to probably 15 feet tall and changes from what I would classify as normal campfire color to gold! Bright shimmering gold!! “THE CAMPFIRE IS SO COOL! IT CHANGES COLORS!” I scream quietly to Aster.

Shaking her head, Aster says, “Rose, we can summon blue fire. This is Standard Book of Spells worthy fire.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. But it’s so COOL!”

Aster smiles warmly at me. “Yes, it is, come on now. We should try to sing a bit with the others.” 

After the campfire we head back to the Hermes cabin. I’m a bit disappointed that we weren’t claimed, since Chiron told us that we would probably be claimed tonight, but hopefully we’ll be claimed by tomorrow. 

“Hey, Rose, when are we going to return to Hogwarts? I know the rest of the third years are going to be in New York for a few days, but they said they were going to move around, so shouldn’t we go straight back to Hogwarts soon? I’m thinking tomorrow afternoon so we don’t have to face too much of Headmaster McGonagall’s wrath,” Aster says as we get ready.

The other Hermes campers stayed behind a bit to do who knows what, so we’re alone in the cabin. “I think that’s a good idea. But we haven’t been claimed yet. I guess we could still leave without being claimed I guess... I don’t want to be in trouble, but of course we probably already are in trouble for directly disobeying Professor Burbage, because SOMEONE wanted to go exploring in a forest where Muggleborns have disappeared. Though, I guess they disappeared here.” I probably said that a tad too sarcastically, but seriously, we’re going to be in SO much trouble. I glance over at my sister, ready to apologize for what I just said, and I notice scars and bruises on her knees that seem to range from a couple years old to as recent as a week ago. “Aster?”

“I’m sorry, but I knew you were going to kill me if I went off alone, plus you need to get out more.” Aster replies. 

“Yes, yes, I would have, so thank you for bringing me with you. On a different note…” I soften my tone. “What happened to your knees?”

“Uh, I fell down a few times on the stairs, they’re quite rough on the knees. Well, knees and arms. Nothing to worry about, I put ointment on injuries all the time,” Aster says, obviously hiding something.

I do not believe that she just… fell down. Not with the angle of some of those scars. I’m worried about her, but I’m not going to pester her right now. We’re already in a new location with new people and I don’t think she’d appreciate me prying. “Alright,” I say skeptically. “Please be more careful in the future, though. Those look painful.” 

I climb into bed and pretend to fall asleep right away, but I lie awake worrying about Aster for a while before finally drifting off. 

The next morning my sister wakes me up. The sleeping bag is surprisingly comfortable and I don’t want to get out of it. “Aster, what are you doing up so early? It’s like six o’clock,” I groan.

“I prefer to wake up early, and it’s already seven thirty, you’ll survive. I woke up almost three hours ago. Besides, if we want to do everything here before we leave, we’re going to have to wake up early.” 

Dear Merlin, I'm going to kill my sister. It is still the middle of the freaking night! I am not getting up now. I roll over and face the wall. “I’m going back to sleep. You have fun and get me up in time for breakfast with the cabin. No earlier,” I grumble, pulling the sleeping bag up over my head. 

“Angelina Camille Rose Eltanin, please get up right now, otherwise you’re going to miss breakfast which starts in less than thirty minutes. I know it’s not fun, but you’re going to need your energy to train. I presume there are things to do here other than smothering the camp director with whipped cream or sitting around a campfire,” Aster says firmly and as if she is a tad bit annoyed. Other things to do. Sounds fun. I don’t want to get out of bed but I suppose I have to. Does she have to be so annoying about it though? I can take care of myself.

Okay, fine, I actually kind of like it, but still. 

I roll back over to face my sister. “Fine,” I sigh. “I don’t need breakfast, but okay. Training and whatever else sounds fun.” 

“Thank you, Rose. Did I mention you’re the last person to wake up? Anyways, get ready quickly since we only have about 20 minutes because of your incessant grumbling. I’ll wait for you outside, okay?” Aster says, with a complete shift in attitude as she walks out the door. My sister is great, no matter how much I hate her promptness in the morning. 

Seriously, how does she get up so easily. I am lucky she’ll get me up, though, because otherwise I’d miss things. Back at Hogwarts I have a friend in my roommate group who helps wake me up. At home I used a Muggle alarm clock, but technology doesn’t work at Hogwarts, leaving me to rely on other people. I hate it. 

I roll out of bed, throw on my purple T-shirt and shorts, and pull a brush through my white blonde hair that matches my sister’s. Mine, however, is dyed with lavender fading into deep purple tips at the bottom. She usually wears hers in braids, but I don’t have the time or energy so mine is almost always in a ponytail. 

Once I’m dressed, I run out of the cabin and follow my sister. I catch up to her just a little ways away from the dining pavilion. “Morning Aster!” I say cheerfully. Now that I’m ACTUALLY awake I’m a whole lot happier than I am when I’m being woken up. 

“Oh good, you’re ready, that took less time than I thought. We have about… seven minutes to get to breakfast, which is plenty of time. I’ll race you there?” Aster said as she sat on a bench, looking older than she is.

“You know I take about 5 minutes flat to get dressed. Then I just had to run up here.” 

“Well, yeah, but you seem broody this morning, plus it's early for you, so I thought you would take longer.”

“I'm always broody in the morning. How many years have you been my sister? Oh, that’s right: all thirteen years of our life. Anyway, yeah, let’s race,” I say with a teasing smile on my face. 

“Extra broody. RACE YOU THERE! 3, 2, 1, GO!” Aster shouts as she counts quicker than a rapper, giving her a very unfair head start.

I take off running after her. Aster wins, because I’m no athlete, but she certainly could be. “Aster, you can’t count that fast! It gives you an unfair head start!” I say as I catch up to her, wheezing.

“Well, all's fair in love and war, and this is definitely war, Madame Hufflepuff. You underestimate my love for winning. Now come, let's sit down,” Aster says, breathing completely normally. Honestly, how does she do that? We haven’t had PE classes in 3 years and we don’t really get much exercise at Hogwarts, unless you count climbing a million stairs that are changing directions all the time. 

“Alright, Miss Slytherin, then this is war,” I tease, shoving her lightly off the step she’s walking up. 

“You want to play that game? It’s on, little sister,” Aster says as she shoves me back.

“I might be younger by a few minutes, but you’re the little one here!” I say as I regain my balance and ruffle her hair to mess up her braid.

“Oh, that is a low blow. Aren’t you supposed to be the Hufflepuff? Then again, you are my sister, so I’m a bit proud. No more touching my hair though, I have to redo my right braid now. I call a truce,” Aster says, grinning widely by her standard, since she doesn’t smile much.

“Alright, truce for now. I want breakfast,” I say, trying not to smile. 

We sit down on the benches and start eating, after doing the stupid sacrifice to the gods. 

“Hey guys, you made it just on time. Sorry it's a bit lonely at the table, most Hermes kids end up going home for the school year,” Trevor says as he greets us with a mouth full of what looks to be a fried egg and pancakes.

“Trevor! Chew with your mouth closed!” Aster and I say in unison. 

“Oh sorry. We’re not your mom.” I say sheepishly.

Aster laughs and says, “Sorry, force of habit. My sister used to do it when she was younger, I still have to yell at her sometimes.”

“You do not!” I interrupt. 

“Yes I do, I did it a few times this summer.”

“Whatever. I'm just sad we didn’t get claimed last night,” I said, pushing my food around with my fork.

“I am too, but I’m more disappointed than sad. Wasn’t the whole point of Percy Jackson giving up immortality to make sure children got claimed? I’m sure we’ll get claimed soon enough though.” My sister says reassuringly

“Yeah that was the whole point. Hopefully tomorrow night though. Maybe our godly parent was a little busy tonight. We should go explore today. This camp is interesting and I want to see a bunch of it.” I probably sound overly excited about exploring but whatever.

“That seems fun. It’d be nice to check out the lake, what with the sun actually being visible here.” 

“The weather in England isn’t that bad. I know for a fact you like to brood by the edge of the lake, especially when it’s cold and gloomy outside. Which is always.” I tease my sister

“Well, you twins are almost joined at the hip from the looks of things. Nice to see you two get along so well and hang out all the time.” Trevor states, after swallowing his food.

I look over at my sister and laugh. “No. Usually the opposite. We rarely get to see each other at school. We do get along well, though.” 

“We certainly do, it’s a perk of being your twin's best friend,” Aster replies with a smile.


End file.
